withing-ton



(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE.

No. 388,707. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

WITNESSES: QINV OR w i lmv M (No Model.) 7 7 SheetsSheet'2..

J. WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIG HTENING WIRE. No. 333,707.

Patented Jan. 5,1886.

moModel.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE.

WITNESSES:

7 Sheets-Sheet 4. 7

(No Model.)

J. WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENLNG WIRE.

No. 333,707. Patented Jan 5, 1886'.

WITNESSES:

PhoX Lilhogmphen Wishingion. n. c.

(N01 Model.) v 7 Sheets-Sheet 5. J. WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE. No. 333,707. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

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MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

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N. PETERS, Phom-Lllhographer, Wanhingmn, Dv C.

(No Model.) 7 heets-Sheet *zJ J.v WITHINGTON.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE. 'No. 333,707. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

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WITNESSES:

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5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WITHIN GTON, OF OHAMBERSBURG, ASSIGNOR TO THE TRENTON IRONCOMPANY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,707, dated January5, 1886.

Application filed June 3, 1884.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WITHINGTON, a citizen of the United States,residingin Chambersburg, in the county of Mercer and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Straightening \Vire, \Vire Rods, and Kindred Products, of which thefollowing isaspeciiication. My invention relates to a well-known classof machinery employed for straightening wire, wire or other metal rods,or shafting, in which the principal operative instrumentality is arapidly-revolving head, straightenenframe, or flier, containing dies orkindred devices set longitudinally within it and eccentrically to itslongitudinal axis, through which dies the wire is passed or threaded,and by the rotation of which it is straightened, and its chief object isthe provision of a revolving straightening head or flier of a specialconstruction and a particular mode of operation, hereinafter at lengthset forth.

A further object is the provision of improved means of driving thefeeding mechanism and the revolvingheadindependently and at differentvelocities, and for changing the respective velocities so as the betterto adapt the machine to straighten wires of different materials andvarious'sizes.

A preferred form of a convenient embodiment of my invention isrepresented in the accompanying drawings, and hereinafter described, thespecial features of invention being particularly specified in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure l is atop plan view of the severalinstrumentalities which in their assembled relation compose my apparatusas an entirety, and which may be briefly enumerated to consist of a wirereel or coil-holding con trivan ce, feed-rolls, a rev olv'ingstraightening head or flier of a novel construction, delivery-rolls, ashearing mechanism, and a driving mechanism for driving at separatevelocities, first, the feed or the feed and delivery rolls, and, second,the revolving head, and

p for altering at will the respective velocities of said rolls and saidhead. Fig 2 is a front elevation of the revolving head, the feed anddelivery rolls, and their connected appliances, the shears, thebelt-tightening device for the Serial No. 133,714. No model.)

belts of the revolving head, and the bed-plate and housings forsupporting the said several devices. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of thedevices represented in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2, withthe exception that the feed and delivery rolls, the bell -mouthedguides,'the flier-housing and the flier itself, and the shears, theshearing contrivances of which are shown advanced into position to act,are represented in central longitudinal vertical sectional elevation.Fig. 5 is an end view of the apparatus represented in Figs. 2 and 3,viewed from the left-hand side of said figures. tional elevation throughthe flier, section being supposed on the dotted line a: a: of Fig. 2,the belttightening devices being also shown. Fig. 7 is a verticalsectional front elevational detail through one standard of the feed-rollhousing, especially designed to illustrate the means of adjustment ofthe shaft of the upper feed-roll. Fig. Sis a right-hand end elevationalview of the shearing mechanism represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A is a bed-plate, of suitable outline, supported uponlegs a or in any preferred manner. The ,bed plate supportsthetlier-housing B, the roll-housings Gfor thefeed and deliveryrolls.and the shearing mechanism D. The flier-housing Bis a rectangularframe, upon standards b of which are supported bearings b for thejournal 6 of the revolving head or flier E. The revolving head or flierE is a wellknown device, consisting of a rectangular frame composed,essentially, of two trans- Fig. 6 is a transverse or endsecversely-connected yoke-bars, e, spaced apart a given distance andframed into driving-pulleys e", from which project the hollow journalse, which revolve in the bearings b of the flierhousing.

Fliers 0r revolving heads of the above construction have been in use formany years in wire-straightening devices per 86, which are applied toand carried by the flier, and hereinat'ter described.

e are two removable hollow bushings,which are applied within the hollowjournals and driviug-pulleys of the flier in a position coincident withthe axis thereof, and which, being conveniently provided withbell-mouths, are respectively adapted to receive the wire from thefeed-rolls and supply it to the thimbles, and to take the wire from thethimbles and supply it to the delivery-rolls, or, when the latter arenot used, to receiving tables or troughs. The bell-mouths of thesebushings are designated by the letter 6, and the bushings are retainedin place by means of collars e", or kindred retaining devices, which arerepresented in Fig. 4. These bushings are made removable, so that theymay be readily renewed when worn out.

The straightening devices proper are a series of bell-mouthedaxially-apertured thimbles, F, of any desired material, which areretained in position by being screwed into or otherwise connected to orformed as a part of crossebars f, connected with and carried by therevolving head. Any desired number of these thimbles may be employed,and in the mounting of the head their bell-mouths all face thefeed-rolls. The bell-mouth of each thimble is peripherally made of suchdiameter as to insure contact of the free end of a wire or rod,introduced through the flier when rotating, with its funnel-shaped faceso that the said face will necessarily direct the said free end of thewire as the latter is fed into the axial aperture of the thimble-body ordie proper; and in this connection I desire to expresslycontradistinguish between my bell-mouthed "thimbles and such eccentricdies as have been heretofore used for many years in revolving fliers ofthis class, and in which the axial apertures of the dies have beenslightly dressed out, countersunk, chamfered, or reamed out,

a as the gist of my construction in this regard resides in providing thedie or thimble proper with a bell-mouth of such peripheral diameter andflare as to insure the unfailing reception by it of the free end of awire which has been passed through the preceding eccentric die,

and which in the revolution of the head is describing a rotary path ofmuch greater radius than the radius of a mere countersunk extremity ofthe axial aperture of a succeeding eccentric die.

A type of the flier above referred to, and which, as stated, has beenfor many years in use, is to be found in English Letters Patent No.3,009, granted December 4, 1857, to John Rubery. To a flier of the saidconstruction it isproper forme to state that I lay no claim.

The hollow bore and bell-mouth of each thimble is eccentric to the axisof the head; but the degree of eccentricity of the first thimble ispreferably greater than that of the last. In other Words, each thimbleafter the first isprel'erably more nearly coincident or at a less radialdistance from the axis of the head than the thimble immediatelypreceding it, and this is true,notwithstan ding that the thi mbles areset alternately upon opposite sides of the axis. The cross-bars f, whichcarry the thimbles, extend transversely across the flier and are securedagainst the proximate faces of the yoke-bars thereof, which faces aredisposed in parallel planes on opposite sides of a plane through theaxis by means of clampplates e which are respectively secured to saidopposite faces of the yoke-bars by connecting-bolts e. The extremitiesof the cross bars project beyond the exterior or peripheral faces of theyoke-bars and clamp-plates, are threaded, and are capableof radialadjustment with respect to said bars and plates by means ofadjusting-nuts f upon their threaded extremities, which bear against theperipheral faces of both clamp-plates and yoke-bars.

The above construction permits of the employment of bell-mouthedthimbles, renders thethimbles adjustable both longitudinally or axiallyand radially, and permits of the application or removal of anyparticular thimble, as well as the application of any given number ofthimbles and their precise adjustment seriatim with respect either toaxial or radial position.

It is obvious that when the flier is rapidly revolved the wire or rodwhich is fed to it is caused in its passage through the thimbles to havea preferably decreasing sinuous or serpentine motion, the result ofwhich is that the wire is very accurately straightened before it isdelivered to the delivery rolls or troughs.

The bell-mouthed construction of thehollow bushings and thimbles permitsof the introduction of the wire to the head while the latter isrevolving at its usual speed, and, as already stated, obviates thenecessity hitherto existing of stopping the head, first setting thethimbles into line, threading the wire through them by hand, and then,adjusting them to a given eccentricity.

The method of application of the thimbles, as in the case of thebushings, permits of their renewal when worn out. The flier is revolvedby means of the flier-belts e,-Figs. 1 and 6, which are driven bypulleys on a flier-shaft, 6 which is driven by a belt, 9, driven byapulley on a counter-shaft,G, itself actuated b a pulley driven by a mainbelt, G. v

The above arrangement is simply one of many which can be resorted to forimparting to the revolving head a uniform high speed, such, forinstance, as from eighteen hundred to three thousand revolutions perminute.

In order toinsure the accurate grip of the flier -belts upon thedriving-pulleys of the flier, I employ a belt-tightener contrivance,(best represented in Figs. .2, 3, 4, and 6,) which is of the followingconstruction: A rock-shaft, H, journaled parallel with the axis of theflier in suitable bearings, preferably in the standards I) of theflier-housing, carries two rocker-standards, h, so disposed asto berespectively in line back of the driving-pulleys ofthe flier,which areprovided at their upper extremities with housings for idler-pulleys h,

IIO

so disposed as to be in line to bear against the flier-belts whenactuated so to do. The rockerstandards are connected by a rocker-yoke, hFigs. 3 and 6, to which is pivoted the upper extremity of a bellcranklever, if, the fulcrum of which, h, is upon the bed-plate of themachine, or, if desired, upon the rock-shaft, and to the lower arm ofwhich is connected the link if, to which in turn is connected thefootlever 72.", Figs. 2, 3, 4., and 5, which plays through a verticallyslotted and notched keeper, h Figs. 2 and 5. A spiral spring, h tends tokeep the foot-lever normally up in the position represented in Figs. 2and 5, and the idler-pulleys away from the belts; but pressure exertedupon. the lever so as to de press it and causeits engagement in thenotch formed in the slot of its keeper will cause the deflection ofthebell-crank lever and the throwing of the rocker standards and pulleysforward against the flier-belts so as to secure the tightening of saidbelts in the manner represented in Fig. 6.

The above tightening contrivance is one of convenience rather than ofabsolute necessity, and it may either be dispensed with or, if desired,other contrivances operative to a like result may be substituted in itsstead.

I, Fig. 1,- represents a reel or device for holding the coil of wire tobe straightened, and from which the wire is led .to the feed rolls. Thedevice which I prefer to employ for this purpose constitues the suject-matter of a separate application executed by me contemporaneouslywith this application.

As any reel or coil'holding device may be employed in conjunction withmy present apparatus, a specific description of the particular reelrepresented is foreign to the purposes of this specification.

J J are respectively the upper and lower feed-rolls which I employ tofeed the wire into and through the flier. These rolls are particularlyrepresented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the drawings, and consistof two plain iron wheels, preferably from six to eight inches indiameter, formed with concaved or grooved peripheries. These rolls aresustained in ver- 'wheel, j which is driven by a beveled pinion,

k, mounted upon a pinion-shaft, K, carried in the journals k, erectedfrom the bed-plate of the machine. This pinion-shaft K is equipped withfast and loose pulleys It k, which are driven by a belt, from what Iterm a cone-shaft, 70 which is represented in Fig. 1. This cone-shaft isadapted to be driven at afiXed, although variable, speed,which is suchof velocity sufficient to actuate the feed-rolls at a predeterminedspeed considerably less than the speed of rotation of the flier. Thepinion-shaft is also provided with a second driving-pinion, 70*, whichgears with a bevel crown-wheel, In, which is adapted to actuate thedelivery-rolls at a speed equal to that of the feed-rolls.

as 'to impart .to the driving-shaft K a rotation W WV are toothedpinions, respectively mounted upon the upper and the lower rollshafts,and engaged so as to transmit in a re-' verse direction the rotation ofthe lower shaft to the upper. The teeth of these pinions are ofsufficient radial depth to permit of a given separation of the pinionswithout disengagement. The roll-shaft j of the upper feed-roll, J, iscarried in slide-bearings L, Fig. 7, adapted to slide vertically inslots in the roll housings, so that the upper .feedroll and itsroll-shaft can have a slight vertical movement with respect to the lowerfeed-roll and its shaft, such movement be ing necessary to permit thefeed-rolls to act upon varying sizes of wires, or wires of slightlyvarying diameters. The frictional grip of the feed-rolls is secured byproviding an upper cross-head, I, Fig. 5, which straddles the housing,bears upon both the slide-bearings of the upper roll-shaft, and isretained down upon them so as to hold the feed rolls to duty by twosuspenders, Z Z, connected together below the bed plate of the machinethrough an opening in which they pass by a lower cross-head,

1*, which serves to receive near its fulcrum and r to sustain a lever, 1the outer extremity of which is provided with a lever-weight, Z", and bythe tension of which lever the upper feedroll is retained against thelower feedroll with or the delivery-rolls is redundant in this specirfication, especially as said rolls as a mechanical feed device form thesubject-matter of a sep* arate application for patent executed by mecontemporaneously with this application.

N N N are three cast-iron or other metal bellmouthed guides,respectively placed and; supported immediately in' front of and to therear of the feed-rolls, and in front ofthe delivery -'rolls and betweenthe latter and the flier. ployed to facilitate the introduction withoutstopping the machine of the wire or rod, respectively, to thefeed-rolls, to the flier, and to the delivery rolls or troughs.

These bell-mouthed guides are em- D, Fig. 8, is a shearing machine of atype which I find it convenient to employ in connection with the otherdevices constituting the subject-matter of this invention. It consistsof a rocking lever-jaw, d, pivoted at d to a sliding jaw-frame, 61,adapted to travel transversely with respect to the bedframe of themachine in shearways, P, erected upon the bed-frame of the machine.

The cutting devices proper are a notched jaw-plate, d*, and a shearingplate, 11 respectively connected with the fixed jaw-frame and therocking lever-jaw of the device, and both being to the front of thepivot of the le ver-jaw.

A spiral spring, p, connected with the sliding'jaw-f'rame and a, fixedsupport, serves to ordinarily retain the entire shearing mechanism outof the line of travel of the advancing straightened wireas it is fedfrom the head or delivery rolls to thereceiving-trongh, upon which isdelivered said straightened wire.

When it is desired to advance the shears into position to cause theseverance of the wire, a shears-lever, 9, Fig. 8, is adapted to bedeflected so as to expand the spring and draw forward the shears intoaposition in whichthe jaw-plates may sever the wire.

- The rocking lever-jaw of the shears is adapted to be continuouslyvibrated by means of a cam, Q, mounted upon a cam-shaft, q, journaledupon the sliding jaw-frame, and actuated by a toothed spur-wheel, g,which takes its rotation from a toothed pinion, (1 mounted upon what Iterm a shears-shaft, g also journal'ed in the slidingjaw-frame, andequipped with a driving'pulley. g, which is driven by ashears-belt, (Z5,which latter is actuated to a fixed travel from a pulley on thecountershaft G. The forward movement of the shears is limited by astop-screw, d Fig. 8.

Instead of employing a shears-lever, the shears may be moved by anyother contrivance operated manually or by power.

, In Fig. l I have represented a convenient arrangement for respectivelydriving the flier, the feed and delivery rolls, and the shears, and foraltering at will the relative velocities of the feed-rolls and the head.

The provision of positively-operating means by which the relativevelocities of the flier or Straightening-head and the wire-feedingdevices can be controlled at will is of the utmost importance inmachines of this class, for

when wires oflarge diameter are to be straight ened a very differentrate of speed in the flier is required from the speed employed forstraightening wires of small diameter, While the rate of feed may be thesame for all diameters, and this proposition is true with respect alsoto wires made from different metals. I have therefore, as stated,provided a suitable mechanical device by which,even when the machine isin operation and without stopping it, the respective velocities. may bevaried at will. This arrangement consists, as already partiallydescribed, of a counter-shaft, G, adapted to be driven by the main beltat a fixed rotation. From pulleys on this counter-shaft are driven thebelt qifor actuating the shears, and the belt 9, for actuating thefliershaft 0 from belts 'upon'which latter, as already explained,theflier is driven at a fixed high speed. The counter-shaft is alsoprovided witha pulley, from which is driven a belt, R, which drives oneofa pair of cone-pulleys, S S, connected by a conebelt, s. The coneshaft 10 of the cone-pulley S carries a pulley, which drives the belt k,which actuates the shaft K. The pulleys which carry the belt B being ofthe same size, and the counter-shaft being driven from the main belt ata fixed speed, it is obvious that the rapidity of the revolution of thebelt is, which actuates the driving-shaft, can only be governed by theposition of the conebelt 3 upon its cones. This belt 8 is adapted to beshifted in its position upon the conepulleys by a belt shiftercontrivance which I have designated by the letter T, and which it is notnecessary to further describe here, for the reason that it constitutesthe subject-matterof a separate application for patent executed by mecontemporaneously with this application. Suffice it to say that theconepulleys, belt, and belt-shifting contrivance together formaconvenient means whereby the speed of the pinion-shaftK, andconsequently of the feed and delivery rolls, can be varied withoutvarying the speed of the flier.

The operation, except as otherwise explained is as follows: The thimblesof the flier being set to a predetermined adjustment, and the speed ofthe feed and delivery rolls being accommodated to the size and materialof the wire to be straightened, the revolving head is set in motion. Thewire, being led from the reel or holding contrivance,-is first enteredthrough the first bell-mouthed guide into the grip of the feed-rolls,and is then carried by them through the second bell mouthed guide to thefirst bell-mouthed bushing of the head, thence through the thimbles ofthe head, and through the second bellmouthed bushing of the head intothe third bell-mouthed guide, and thence to the delivery-rolls whenemployed, by which latter it is gripped, and which cooperate with thefeedrolls in drawing the wire through the flier, and thence in front ofthe retracted shears into a receiving trough, pipe, or suitableconductor, which will prevent its advance extremity from flying out.When a sufficient amount of wire has been fed through the ma: chine andstraightened, the shears are drawn into action and then instantlyreleased, so as to be returned by their spring or counterweight, anoperation, it is to be remarked, which can take place without arrestingany of the other motions of the machine.

It is proper to remark that the principle the assemblage of theotheriinstrumentalities in connection therewith. as hereinafter claimed.

It is obvious that the construction of the device is such that the wirecan be fed into it and automatically carried through it while themachine is in operation, and it is very evident that a vastly greaterproduct can be turned out by this machine than by machines heretofore inuse.

If desired, the delivery-rolls may be dispensed with, although whenemployed they co-operate with the feed-rolls in drawing the wire throughthe thimbles, and are of especial value in drawing the final end of thecoil through the flier. The shearing mechanism set forth, or any otherautomatic shearing mechanism, may also, if desired, be dispensed withand the wire be cut by hand, shears, or by the blow of a chisel or adze.I prefer, however, to employ the automatic shearing mechanism set forth.

As already stated, other contrivances than the specific belt-drivinggear represented in Fig. 1, may be substituted in its stead. I, however,prefer to employ the specific gear represented and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, in awirestaightening machine, with a revolving head or flier, of a series ofaxially-apertured eccentrieally-disposed dies or thimbles, each of whichis provided with a bell-mouth the peripheral diam- 2. In combinationwith the yoke-bars of 40 the revolving head arranged on opposite sidesof the axis, cross-bars provided with bellmouthed thimbles or dies,clamp-plates, bolts for securing said clamp-plates to the yokebars, andadjusting-nuts upon the projecting threaded extremities of saidcross-bars, substantially as set forth.

3. In a wire-straightening machine,the combination of a revolving heador flier provided with straightening dies or thimbles, feedingrolls inadvance of said head adapted to feed wire through it, driving devicesfor revolving, the head at a predetermined speed, driving devices forrevolving the feed-rolls at a predetermined speed, and means for at willand without the stoppage of the machine varying the relative speeds ofthe driving devices respectively of said head and feed-rolls,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 22d day of May,A. D. 1884.

JAMES W'ITHINGTON.

In presence of J. BONSALL TAYLOR, W. O. STRAWBRIDGE.

